Harper scratched from Nationals’ lineup with illness

Outscored 38-8 over the last three games. Melancon, who had 30 saves and a 1.51 ERA with the Pirates, reported to the Nats on Sunday in San Francisco but did not get in the game as Washington fell 3-1 to the Giants. He struck out six and walked two.Lamb had two hits and two RBIs and Yasmany Tomas had two hits and a homer for the Diamondbacks (43-64), who have lost three in a row and 16 of 21. Washington 1B Ryan Zimmerman (wrist) was held out of the lineup for the second straight game after being hit by a pitch in the ninth inning on Sunday.

Washington has piled up 24 runs and 34 hits while winning the first two games of a three-game set at Arizona.

Ramos hit his 16th home run of the season last night, matching his career high set in 2013 and the 28-year-old backstop, who’s headed for free agency this winter unless he signs an extension, now ranks second in the NL in AVG (.331) and seventh in AVG with runners in scoring position, (.351 on the year).

With the game tied at 2, Ramos hit a 2-2 slider into the left field seats after Daniel Murphy singled and Anthony Rendon walked with two outs off left-hander Robbie Ray (5-11).

Nationals catcher Wilson Ramos hits a three-run home run in the fifth inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field.

“I’m telling you, Ramos has been a godsend”, Baker said. “I don’t think about the numbers, I just try to help the team”. “I made the pitch I wanted to make”. If it was an inch lower, he probably swings over the top of it.

Strasburg (15-1) allowed a run and three hits in six innings, striking out six and walking two. The Nationals have scored 25 runs in their last three games and four or more runs in seven of their last nine games.

“It is disheartening when they keep going out there and giving up even one”, Arizona manager Chip Hale said. “That is important when you are down”. “I thought we scored the run in the first and kind of gave us a little life, and they went right back out and scored a couple”. “And we just thought it would be best to wait another day”.

Jake Lamb’s solo homer in the last of the sixth inning brought Arizona within 6-3 before Werth led off the seventh inning with his 13th homer.

Tanner Roark (11-6) struck out six and allowed three runs on seven hits over 6 1/3 innings.

Tomas homered in the second for a 2-1 lead. Segura has scored a first-inning run in six of his last seven games. “When (Ray) gets a couple of guys on he can not make that mistake”. The only trouble he has run into was when a foul ball struck him in the chest in the ninth inning Tuesday and broke his gold chain. In a month that featured Murphy’s second career All-Star nod and the only multi-hit performance for the NL team in the Midsummer Classic, the Nationals’ second baseman reached base in 18 of the 22 games he played, and had a hit in 17 of those 22. Daniel Murphy’s groundout drove in Turner for a 1-0 lead.

Arizona responded by loading the bases with none out in the bottom of the first but managed only one run.

Rendon doubled to open the fourth and scored on Difo’s two-out single to tie the score at 2.